


Phone calls and Lavish lifestyles.

by misswritingobsessed



Category: Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-19 04:52:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10632606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misswritingobsessed/pseuds/misswritingobsessed
Summary: Mae and Ryan spend a little time together just before Jack takes him out to the local authorities in 2x07.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know this isn't really a pairing as such, but the idea came to me after seeing Adam Glass' tweet about who Ryan should end up with! Enjoy.

“How long have you been doing this?” Ryan asked Mae. After Ryan had asked Simmons to punch him a couple hundred times, as well as push him around a bit, Mae had offered to do a little reconstruction of Ryan’s face.

“What? Working for the IRT or working on bodies.” Mae smiled as she put another stitch in Ryan’s brow.

“Both I guess. I know Clara from a while back, and dad talks about Simmons and his kids. Monty, I knew just from being at the office, but I’ve never really been able to put a name to the face with you.” Ryan tried his best not to wince as the needle pierced his skin again.

“Well, I got a job at the local M. E’s office right out of college, but became an M.E when I was 23. I stuck at the local M. E’s office for a while, before joining the FBI and then 4 years ago, I got this gig.” Mae didn’t make a habit of talking about her life, but Ryan seemed sweet enough and she wondered if it would help him since he would soon be back in the world of drug running and gangs.

“I can try and patch you up some more, but I don’t want to ruin your cover story, so, look in the mirror, and give me your honest opinion.” Ryan laughed a little.

“I think Simmons did a pretty decent job of beating me up. Not to undermine your work, Agent Jarvis, but I think Matt’s punches may stay with me forever.” Mae nodded in agreement, as she held up the mirror she’d gotten from her bag.

“For the record, it’s Mae. I love the IRT and everything, but I’m still just Mae.” Ryan stood up, noting the high difference between the two of them.

“Well, Mae, I appreciate what you’ve done.”

Mae too had noted the height difference, but it didn’t bother her. She noted how different he looked, of course, there was now a bruise on his eye, and a few stitches on his brow, as well as the bruising that Mae couldn’t see under his shirt, but he went from being Jack Garrett’s son with ambitions to join the FBI to a hot guy with a biker gang in Mexico.

“Happy to help. I know you might not be able to use it, but I have a friend, lives just across the border. Owns a clinic in San Diego, just in case you need patching up again.” Ryan nodded, taking the small card that Mae had gotten out of her pocket.

“And, my number is on there too, you know, just in case.” Mae wondered if she was being too forward, but she was thankful that she was alone.

“I hope I never have to call your friend, but, I am thankful either way. I also hope that I never have to call you for help…”

“You can just call me for a chat. You know, have a little bit of contact with civilisation.” Ryan laughed, he knew it could put him and Mae at risk, but the thought of speaking to the Medical Examiner occasionally sounded nice. She had a nice voice, a lovely smile and seemed to be an independent woman, which, was something Ryan liked.

“I might have to come up with a pretty good cover story. I am sure you could cope, but I would hate for you to get dragged into this. Drugs and gangs are nasty business.” Ryan joked as he sat back down on the chair.

“Well, a pretty rough gang member such as yourself must have a girl tucked away, somewhere right? I’m sure if they asked, I can play the needy girlfriend, I’ve always wanted a lavish lifestyle.” Mae had to admit, she was now flirting with her boss’ son, but she could only see him as Ryan, an FBI agent, who, although had been beaten looked pretty sexy.

“Thinking about a career change, Mae?” Ryan asked, with a grin.

“Depends on what you’re offering.” Mae shot back, turning slightly to pack away all the equipment she’d used. 

“Well…” Ryan was about to say something else when the door opened.

“You two about done in here? The local authorities are getting a little impatient.” Clara asked with a smile.

“Yeah, give us two minutes and we’ll be out,” Mae said, with a nod towards her best friend.

As the door closed behind Clara, Mae looked at Ryan, but this time, really looked at him.

“Well, you look the part…”

“As do you, Mae.” Again, they were flirting.

“You need to go be the badass gang member again, and I need to get on that jet and go home.” Ryan smiled, a part of him wishing he could go with them.

Standing up, Ryan played with the small card in his hand.

“I don’t know when you’ll hear from me…”

“Good luck out there, stay safe,” Mae said before Ryan could finish.

“Likewise.” It wasn’t much, but there was something there. Something that influenced Ryan to take that step forward, to get closer to Mae.

The kiss was short and sweet, but still, something that would keep Mae smiling for the next few hours.

Ryan was the same, despite the fact he would more than likely get another beating, he was happy that he had the mental image of Mae to keep him going.

“It’s show time,” Mae whispered.

“Yeah…” And with that, Ryan had turned to leave the room, and before the door had closed shut behind him, she was waiting on his phone call.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mae never thought Ryan would actually call...

It was getting close to midnight when Mae decided to put down her book and think about heading to bed. Although, she knew she would convince herself one more chapter would be okay. Much like last night, she could see the clock ticking past one in the morning before she pulled herself off the sofa and into her bedroom.

‘The Book Thief’ hadn’t been her first choice, but when Clara recommended it, she couldn’t say no. Flicking the page she began to read more, but her phone buzzing and casting a white glow in the corner of the room caused her to groan before shoving her bookmark in the book and throwing it down beside her.

_“Yeah?” She answered, expecting it to be Monty with another case._

_“Mae? It’s Ryan.” Mae’s heart stopped momentarily as she heard Ryan Garrett’s voice on the other end of the phone._

_“Ryan, Hi, how are you?” The question itself seemed so pathetic. Mae was prepared for the sarcastic answer she expected him to give._

_“Well, I’m not dead yet, so I think I’m doing okay. How about you?” Mae could hear what sounded like cars and loud music in the background but knew well enough not to ask._

_“I’m glad to hear it. I’m fine, travelling the world, saving lives, all of that stuff.”_

_“Are you on a case right now?”_

_“No, we got back two days ago from Egypt. So, I am now trying to acclimatise to the D.C winter and get on with some housework.” Ryan chuckled._

_“I think for the first time this week, I wish I was doing the dishes and helping R.J with maths.” Mae could picture Ryan playing the protective older brother._

_“I’d ask you what went wrong, but I doubt you could tell me.”_

_“That’s right, baby. I’ll have to tell you all about it on your next trip.” Mae could tell some else, someone of importance had walked into the room by the way his voice changed._

_“That may be sooner than you think. According to our weekly world reports Mexico is becoming a major tourist country.” Mae said, holding back the urge to play along with him._

_“Is it, really? Well, lucky for you, it’s all paid for. I promised you, you wouldn’t have to pay for anything.”_

_“Someone really important must be stood next to you if you’re promising me a life with no more financial worries.” Mae laughed as she moved her position, so she could lie down on her sofa._

_“Smart and beautiful. Tell me about your week, I want to know your plans.”_

_“Protective, I like it.” She could hear Ryan laugh slightly, and she wondered what he was doing, if he was pacing the room, or if he was sat with a beer in his free hand taking in the scene around him. She even dared to think if he was thinking of her._

_“Well, it’s paperwork unless I get the phone call. Of course, I want to make time to do some shopping, and you know I can’t go too long without having my hair done.” Mae decided to be bold and play along._

_“I can’t wait to see it. All of this talk is making me want to come and get you.”_

_“Maybe you should, I can save you from nights with the cartel and you can save me from jetlag and takeout food.” Ryan laughed out loud and for a moment Mae wondered if she was hearing the real Ryan or the FBI Undercover agent._

_“The moment the money comes in, I swear you’ll be in first class on your way over here, baby.”_

_“Maybe when all of this is over you could take me, first class, somewhere else? You know, I’ve always wanted to see New Zealand.” There was a pause in the conversation and Mae instantly felt as though she’d overstepped the mark._

_“Whatever you want, you get. Look, baby, I’ve got to go, but I’ll call as soon as I can.”_

_“Take care of yourself, I’ll speak to you soon.”  Mae wondered if or not to say, ‘I love you’ but knowing it could be weeks before she heard his voice again, she decided to go with it._

_“I love you.”_

_“I love you, too, Mae.” And with that, the line went dead._

Mae sat up on the couch. He called her Mae. Not ‘love’, not ‘sweetheart’, not ‘baby’, but Mae. Did that mean he actually liked her?

Was she over thinking it?

Taking a deep breath Mae knew this would be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope part two was enjoyable! I have decided to make this three chapters, so keep an eye out!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just how Mae ended up telling Clara about her relationship with Ryan.

Mae wasn’t sure how she felt about meeting Ryan for the first time since he came home from Mexico. Mae had been down to the border twice, but she’d only seen Ryan for two days before he went back into gang territory and she returned to Virginia.

On those two occasions, they’d shared kisses, as well as, a little make-out session, which left Mae unable to focus for the rest of the week, which didn’t go too well, when the IRT got sent out to Turkey.

Now, Ryan was back in the US and had spent the first four days of his freedom from Mexico with his mother and siblings, before going to see Jack and Clara. Mae didn’t mind waiting, she knew that he would want to see her, or, she hoped Ryan would want to see her, but Ryan was also part of a close-knit family, and she knew that RJ and Emma had missed their big brother whilst he’d been away.

“Something on your mind?” Mae turned at the voice. Ryan was leant against the bedroom door. Mae had disappeared five minutes ago to grab a jacket so the two could go for a walk, but instead of opening her wardrobe, she’d sat on her bed and gotten lost in thought.

“No, no, sorry.” Mae apologised and quickly got up again, moving to her wardrobe to find a jacket.

“Is it cold out?” She asked, hoping Ryan wouldn’t ask the obvious question.

“I don’ think so, but, I can always keep you warm if you get cold.” Mae stopped and turned to look at the man in her bedroom.

“That must be the worst come on line, ever!” Ryan shrugged with a smile.

“You can’t blame a guy for trying!” Mae finally grabbed a jacket and made her way out of the room, Ryan letting her go first.

* * *

  
Once outside and walking the streets, Ryan held Mae’s hand, which was something that felt right, Mae did have worries about seeing Ryan this side of the border, without the persona of the cartel’s security.

“Have the FBI told you where you’re heading next?” Ryan shook his head, pulling Mae a little closer.

“But, in the meantime, I plan on spending my time in the US with you and my family.”

“I was thinking that maybe later we could, you know, take some picture, at least then I’ll have some memories of your time back here. I know how long some undercover operations can take, maybe you could also begin making photo albums with RJ and Emma?” Mae suggested as the crossed a street, walking nowhere in particular.

“I would like that. I think RJ and Emma would too, and you’ve met my mum, she loves all of that sentimental stuff.” Mae chuckled, that sounded a lot like Karen.

As they walked further from Mae’s apartment, the pair of them fell into comfortable conversation. A little talk about the job, some about family, Mae made it very clear that she found Ryan a lot better looking with facial hair before they began speaking about everything and nothing.

* * *

  
Hours later, the pair found themselves in bed. It wasn’t late, but neither of them had plans to do anything else, and Mae was enjoying being this close to Ryan.

“Maybe we could take some pictures? Something for you to take with you when you leave again?” Mae suggested, feeling much like her nineteen-year-old self.

“I would like that,” Ryan began, “what kind of pictures did you have in mind?” He asked.

Mae bit her lip, grabbing her phone off the nightstand.

“What kind of pictures would you like to see?”

After what felt like a million photographs Mae scrolled through them whilst Ryan was in the bathroom. Mae felt like laughing out loud at some of them, not because they were funny, but more because she was shocked that she did it.

Her favourite so far was the picture of her in her favourite bra looking away from the camera. Mae knew it was Ryan in the corner of that photo, but she assumed everyone else would be oblivious. Which is why, when she accidently clicked the wrong button and sent it to Clara, she thought nothing of it.

How wrong she was.

A reply came back only seconds later.

_‘Is that who I think it is?’_

Mae frowned slightly.

_‘I can make an effort if I want to, can’t I?’_

_‘For Ryan Garrett?’_

The moment the text came back Mae’s face dropped and she began to panic. Pushing the covers off her body, she dropped her phone onto the bed and grabbed her jeans and shirt off the floor.

“Something wrong?” Ryan asked, coming out of the bathroom, seeing Mae bothered about something.

“I sent one of those pictures to Clara. Shit.” Mae cursed as she said it out loud.

Ryan laughed slightly.

“This isn’t funny, Ryan. No one knows, and Clara is with your dad if he finds out through some revealing picture, not only will that affect you, but I’ll never be able to look him in the eye again!”

Ryan carried on laughing, causing Mae to shoot him a serious look.

“Nothing is going to happen, Mae. Dad can hardly kick you off the IRT or cause you any trouble. He’s dating his partner, and that seems a little worse than us dating. Besides, we’re both adults, we make our own life choices.” Ryan said, moving closer the brunette, wrapping his arms around her.

“I sent Clara a picture of me in my bra, not just any bra, the most revealing one I have…” Again, Ryan had to hold in his laughter.

“But, you looked good in it.” Mae punched him lightly in the chest.

“Let’s go back to bed, we can deal with it in the morning.” It took Mae a moment to agree, but she knew Ryan was right.

Picking up her phone again, she opened the latest text from Clara.

_‘So, I was thinking a girls’ night in? Maybe you can finally let me in on your secret?’_

Mae smiled, it was a nice reassurance that Clara seemed okay with it all, but right now, she was with Ryan.

They’d deal with everything else in the morning.

“I promise, it will all be fine,” Ryan whispered as she laid down next to him.

“Now they know, does this mean, I do, or don’t get that first-class trip to New Zealand?”

“You get whatever you want…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought about all of it!! Enjoy.


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